


Misadventures

by Magestii



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, F/F, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-08-09 18:43:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7812943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magestii/pseuds/Magestii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I go to my room for ten minutes and you provoke an alien race." An arranged marriage au with a twist.</p><p> </p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> On Fanfiction.net, I titled this "An Intergalactic Affair" but the title that I had settled on originally was "Misadventures" and so I decided to use that one here because I think that I actually prefer it. With that said, I hope you that enjoy it!
> 
> Oh, and the rating *might* be bumped up to M if I wind up including a chapter that I am currently writing. I am not sure whether or not I will yet.

“What.” the pink-haired woman looked up at her father in utter and complete disbelief. The single word uttered was not a question but a statement, properly portrayed by the woman’s expressionless face and piercing ice blue eyes. Even the man on the throne fought the urge to squirm under her relentless glare. As he appeared to be grasping for words, gesturing with his hands and opening and closing his gaping mouth, the woman spoke again. 

“I go to my room for ten minutes and you manage to provoke an alien race. Not only that, no, that would never do because you are a man of excellence, and so you went and provoked what is quite possibly the most dangerous race in the history of the universes.”

“It will do you well to hold your tongue.” snapped her father, “We have been at war with them for decades, and now they wish to give us peace. Many lives are wasted, both human and otherwise, on that battlefield, Luka. You know as well as I of the husbands, wives, and children who come to us in poverty after the head of their family has been slaughtered. To pass up an opportunity like this would be insanity.”

“I understand, father,” Luka began, “but is it not more traditional to send a son to marry a feuding kingdom’s daughter?”

“I am not saying that I agree with this, however they explicitly requested that it be my eldest regardless of whether or not that meant male or female. You are my pride and joy. It pains me greatly to simply send you off to an alien colony, however it is what must be done. I can not value my own family over those within my kingdom which are put in danger nearly every day, nor prioritize my personal desires above those of the state.”

“Very well, father. When do I leave?” Luka stared holes into the well-carpeted floor, but did not utter another word of protest. She appeared as if she had simply given up.

“You will part for their ships at dawn. Louis will escort you.”

At the word ‘dawn’ Luka started, appearing as if she were about to protest before she silenced herself once again, nodding and grinding out a “yes, father.”

 

 

Luka woke up and was dressed by her lady’s maid. For the special occasion, she wore a light green dress that compared in shade to the stem of a dandelion in spring. On each side of the dress where her arms would fall, there was a slightly darker and yet springy green. Her sleeves fell to her waist when she held her arms out, and would almost drag on the ground if she held her hands together at her waist. Unlike the crowns that her parents wore, she was given a pretty little thing made out of lightly-colored flowers. 

“I feel almost as if I am not a young adult on the verge of delinquency.” Luka muttered, glowering at herself in the mirror. Before her stood the very embodiment of a spring princess, and she greatly disliked the way that she was being portrayed.

“Yes, princess.” a sarcastic voice floated up from behind her, and Luka shot the blonde in the mirror a glare.

“What? Hey, I’m supposed to call you princess, it’s just being respectful.”

“Lily, however it is that you managed to acquire and maintain this job is beyond me.”

“Aww, but you love me.” chimed Lily, swinging her arm over the shoulders of her technical employer.

“You are certainly a close friend of mine.” Luka sighed, “Now, however, I believe that I am to ‘love’ a strange princess who’s name I don’t know and face I’ve yet to see.”

“Go get ‘er, tiger!” said Lily, smiling goofily, in a way that no lady’s maid was ever supposed to act in front of her employer. 

“I don’t want to go...” muttered Luka as her feet disobeyed her wish and slowly led her out into the grand hallway of the west wing of her castle. Neither her mother nor her father was there to bid her goodbye as she stepped into a carriage that was loaded with her bags and sighed. The man in the front seat made very little conversation as Luka stared out of the curtained carriage window and watched the kingdom melt into countryside. An hour into the journey, she crossed a still battlefield. It marked the border between human and extra-terrestrial beings. She looked over the battlefield and noted how all of the bodies looked the same once they were dead. She saw people, of which race she could not tell, that caught sight of the carriage and cheered. Some grabbed their neighbors and pulled them into hugs, other punched the sky. The relief on the survivors’ faces reminded her of why she was going through with the arranged marriage. After a second hour of passing through a land that was as laden with dead bodies as a morgue during a plague, the carriage finally came upon a ship.

Luka rubbed at her perfectly decorated eyes to make certain that what she was seeing was real. Before her stood so much technology that she could not even think about what one device could do before her attention was grabbed by the next. In the center of it all, was what her father must have referred to as ‘the ship.’ It was nothing like the ships that lived in Luka’s harbor. It was pristine and smooth, but she could tell that there were hundreds upon thousands of weapons beneath its outer shell that could kill a person more quickly than any of the weapons that her kingdom stocked. She was helped out of the carriage by the driver, and met outside of the spacecraft by an alien that looked just like a human man. 

He had a worn face and distant eyes, dressed with a friendly yet tired looking smile. He bowed to her and ushered her into the unusual ship. As if he had interacted with human royalty for the entirety of his life, he made certain not to take her hand to lead her, nor touch her in any way. Once she was inside, she did not turn backwards, and followed the man into a seat. Eventually, the man attached a tiny, circular, black device to his face, directly beneath his mouth.

“We do not wish to appear as if we are retreating, so I will transport you to the empire using the beams.”

Luka smiled and nodded, pretending that she understood what he was saying. She was politely shown to a beam of light and directed to stand inside of it. When she did so, she was surprised to see the world before her fade away and become replaced with a new one once the light surrounding her had died. An alien that looked like a young man bowed to her and took her light baggage from a neighboring “beam.” Luka barely noticed, because she was busy looking around.

She had materialized in a place that she simply could not comprehend. The walls were not made of rock, but of something that looked to be steel. Teal-blue light was trapped in a thin line along each wall, and lit the humungous room, the ceiling of which was entirely invisible to her. The floor was made out of the same steely material, and she felt it instead of earth under her feet, exceptionally confused. The young man directed her to what must have been the alien equivalent to a carriage. It was attached to an indentation in the wall, and it had no wheels. As she entered, she pondered how it would move, before she felt it pull to a start. She was sprayed with a mist, and felt almost instantaneously relieved of all pain that she hadn’t known that she had been in, being told something about ‘decontamination.’ For one jarring second, she felt herself being propelled forward at impossible speeds, before the cabin of the carriage adjusted. She looked outside and saw new colors fly by as she exited the strange steel chamber. Within seconds, the young man opened the door to her carriage and bowed again. She offered her hand to him and he took it, helping her out of the carriage and onto the ground. When he spoke, it was into a tiny black circle as well.

“This is our equivalent to the human ‘castle,’ your majesty.”

Luka gazed around with wide eyes, taking in all of the differences and also noting what few similarities the castle bore to her home. It was not made of a dark steel, but shone of silver. Everything was faded, unlike her home castle where royal reds and bright gold adorned every hall. Certainly they displayed their vast collection of silver, but never to the extent of building an entire castle out of the stuff.

She was led to the top of a tremendous stairway, something that she could at least be familiar with, and then to the room that she would be bedding in. The young man took a great deal of time explaining what everything was and precisely how it worked before he left her to privacy. She sat on what she understood to be her bed, surprised that it was very similar in basic structure to the one that she possessed at home. Of course, there were the strange circles that she could press to cause the bed to warm, cool, vibrate, change texture, and who knows what else, but fundamentally it was quite similar to her own. She went to the alien equivalent of a washroom and looked at her reflection in a mirror.

All appeared normal, before tiny words appeared on the mirror that pointed out every aspect of her dress that was asymmetrical. Soon, she was adjusting everything and growing frustrated with the perfection that her mirror demanded. As she opened her mouth to protest, it indicated her teeth, and she was hit with a scan that made her teeth no longer ache and her breath taste...minty? The vague impression of mint was cloaked by unfamiliar sweetness. Eventually, she just stalked out of the washroom and returned to sit in a chair. After she had unpacked the few possessions that she had brought for her brief stay, the room had changed colors to suit that of the majority of her items, and she was met with a knock on her door. After ushering the knocker in, she saw that it was the young man/alien again, and he was to lead her to supper. Luka felt herself break out into a cold sweat as she stood up and organized herself as best she could, following her servant with the walk that she had been taught to practice from birth. 

Atop the grand stairwell, lit by the fading light of a sun that shone through a humungous window, there stood an alien. Luka approached her, and realized that the young woman had extended a hand. Luka took her hand delicately and shook it once, formally, remembering the etiquette for the greeting of an equal. The young man behind Luka bowed, as did the one who stood behind the other alien.

“Hello.” greeted Luka, realizing that neither of them was going to speak unless she said something, “I am Luka from the Megurine household. It is a pleasure to meet you.” She spoke in the main alien language, understanding that her accent had to be atrocious, but also knowing that it would be impolite to greet in English.  “Okay.” the alien responded. She spoke almost as if she were an entity, in an airy, almost lifeless voice. Teal irises cloaked by partially closed eyelids stared on dully and listlessly, as if she were simply waiting for the next night to fall so that she could close them entirely once again. Unnaturally long, teal-blue hair was tied upon her head in a bun that caught her hair at its base, but allowed its ends to wash past her shoulders like a waterfall, not stopping abruptly but instead fading into the light dress that she wore and only adding to her ghostly appearance. 

“And... What might your name be?” asked Luka, once again hoping that she didn’t mess any words up. The alien looked at her blankly for a minute, a confused expression sheathed beneath the emptiness of her eyes. After a moment’s pause, she answered.

“You do not know my name?” her voice was small and curious, but possessed the aging of one-thousand years.

“I am afraid not.” Luka’s response was met with another pause.

“My name is Miku. Of your ‘households,’ I am Hatsune.” She began to walk, turning her attention away from Luka as she followed. The two servants tagged closely behind, until they came to a grand hall. Food was served, and then the heiresses were left alone.


	2. Chapter 2

“It is dreadfully rude of me to ask,” began Miku, “however, are those flowers of your realm?”

Luka was confused for a minute before she remembered the flower crown that she was wearing.

“Oh, these? Yes. They were picked fresh this morning.” This was followed by another pause.

“May I see them?” Miku asked. She was still practically voiceless, and it was a wonder that Luka could hear her at all. Luka blinked, and then took the crown off of her head and passed it to Miku, who stared at it for a moment before smelling it. It took Luka a moment to remember that Miku would have an exceptional sense of smell, and had probably never experienced such a common species of flower.

“Curious...” Miku handed them back and smiled a bit. Luka didn’t understand how, but she knew that the smile was forced. “Father would be enraged if he caught me acting so indecent before a planet representative, but then...” Luka understood what she was implying, and waved her hand with nonchalance.

“ Hey, let’s just establish right now that I am not going to make you do anything that you don’t want to do.” she said. Miku cocked her head to the side.

“ Honestly?” she asked. Luka was unnerved by the lack of emotions that the young alien portrayed. She was more unsettled by the fact that Miku had expected her to make her uncomfortable.

“Of course.” Luka responded, placing her flower crown back upon her head, “You are in no way entitled to me in those regards.”

“But we are to be wed.” responded Miku.

“Yes, we are, however considering the fact that you are another living being, that doesn’t entitle you to me. And even if it did, I would be equally entitled to you.”

“You are peculiar.” stated Miku, before she realized what she had said, “I apologize, that was impolite. Regardless... I have heard so many things about your human ways... You do not intend to ‘force me to submit’ to you?”

“Of course not! Are you crazy?” Luka looked around, thankful that there was no one else to see her acting so un-queenly, “I apologize, however it is important that you know that I have no intentions to force you to do anything, especially in terms of what you were implying.”

“Odd.” Began Miku, tilting her head slightly. Her voicelessness was admittedly frightening her betrothed stranger. “I had been raised under the beliefs that humans were barbaric creatures.” As if only realizing what she had said, the alien covered her mouth in another slow, fluid movement. “I apologize... Father would be appalled to see me behaving with such unkindness as the representative of our people.”

“I as well,” responded Luka, and then,“if you don’t tell anyone, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Alright.” responded Miku, nodding mechanically. Luka was beginning to wonder if she was actually a living creature or something synthesized by the aliens, perhaps a doll that could move and speak independently. 

“We are to go back to your realm upon the dawn of the following morning.” she said. Luka nodded, now almost entirely certain that Miku was an independently moving doll sent to spy on her kingdom. “It was intended for father and our associates to have a grand feast. In fact it is very rare for me to eat alone-” she caught herself, “without a few advisors, I mean, but father had sudden and urgent business to attend to and didn’t want to overwhelm you.” Definitely a doll. She already had her excuses prepared. 

“I do not mind sharing a meal with you.” responded Luka, “It is nice for me to have the chance to learn a little about you before we launch into the marriage.”

“Yes, you’re right, the magazines and press are going to want millions of interviews with both of us asking for intimate details of our romantic lives, it would be better if we know the basics about one another to make it believable.” muttered Miku, looking absentmindedly to the side. Magazines? Press? Romantic? Luka was utterly confused. “So what is your favorite color?”

Luka paused for a minute and almost laughed, but managed to compose herself without showing anything exteriorly.

“I’m surrounded by so much red all of the time, it’s the color of the inside of my residence, I’ve grown tired or reds and oranges and golds... If I were to choose a color it would most likely be mantis green.”

“They’ll probably want teal, however mantis green can be worked with...” muttered Miku, still making absolutely no sense. If Luka did not think that she was an independently moving doll before, she certainly did now. 

“Right then... My favorite color is pastel-blue, like your eyes...” she muttered listlessly, glancing upwards. “That sounds... appropriate...” Luka looked on confusedly. 

“What’s your favorite color actually?” she asked.

“In all honesty, a bright teal. I suppose that it is like your eyes, however saying that my favorite color is the exact same as that of your eyes would be seen as a far more romantic gesture and it would, in turn, get good publicity...” Luka was still thoroughly confused, uncertain of many of the words that came from Miku’s mouth.

“My deepest apologies, but I do not know what this “publicity” is that you speak of.” she said tentatively. Miku paused and angled her head upward, movements still evenly calculated and mechanical.

“I had almost forgotten that you and I do not have the same technology.” she said, voice still void of any human emotion. Luka briefly wondered if all aliens spoke like Miku, before remembering those who had spoken to her before and realizing that it was only the princess. “Publicity is how people look at you. You can get good or bad publicity through people who ask you questions, known as the press. The way that you answer the questions effects your public image, which greatly effects your life if you are a public figure, like a royal, as we both are. Relationships are fawned over by the public, who receive their information from the press, so they are crucial to the way that the public feels towards the figures who partake in a relationship.” Miku concluded.

“And what is the definition of the word ‘romantic’?” asked Luka, finishing her meal and sitting back while maintaining a straight posture. Miku blinked.

“You do not know, and yet you are to be married? Humans are truly peculiar creatures... Romance is an adoration for someone, as one would find in a friend, except not quite the same. It is very difficult to put into words without referencing itself... Romance is a strong bond between two or more peoples consisting of strong adoration that borders on platonic but features the wish for intense closeness and different emotional connections. Ideally, one would feel sad and their lover or lovers would also feel that sadness, similarly applying to joy and all other emotions. Being separated from one’s partner(s) for extended periods of time can often result in the feeling of being incomplete, and when returned, lovers feel whole. Ideally. And to be romantic is the adjective form of the noun, Romance.” Miku finished speaking again.

“And that would apply to marriage... Ah, because marriage is a bond between people, and that can be seen as a ‘romantic’ closeness?” Luka finished her short response as more of a question, receiving a curt nod from Miku in response. “You see, we marry in order to bridge families in a political sense... Occasionally, romance ensues, however in the traditional sense of my people, romance would not be necessary for marriage.”

“Ah.” said Miku, “Anyway, that is why we need to get to know one another. We will need to pretend as if we are deeply in love in order to lower the chances of rebellion.” Luka chuckled.

“Contrarily, my people are more likely rebel knowing that I to marry a female.” Miku cocked her head to the side in response to what Luka said.

“That is of darker matter. They will not rebel, anyway, however the issue that I was about to bring up is not suitable for light conversation. Now...” They continued to try to understand one another, Luka offering a considerable portion of information about herself while Miku remained mechanical.

 

The following day, Luka woke up feeling refreshed. It had been surprisingly easy for her to fall asleep, and she absentmindedly worried that Miku would find it difficult to rest on human territory. After waiting for a moment, Luka realized that no one would come to dress her, and went through the elaborate task of applying a dress, suddenly grateful for Lily’s random disappearances throughout her childhood which helped her learn how to dress herself. She looked into the mirror and adjusted her clothing as instructed before there was a knock on her door, and she allowed the young alien from before to grab her bag and escort her to another wheelless carriage. This time, as Luka was about to sit down, she noticed that Miku was already inside of the carriage, and made certain not to sit upon her. Miku smiled warmly at her, a fake smile, and ushered her into the carriage. Luka followed, remembering what Miku had said about the press and returning her actions. They waved to a group of people before the carriage shot off and materialized at the next location.

Luka and then Miku was helped out of the carriage, their baggage carried out by the same young alien, who brought them to Luka’s carriage. They were both helped into the carriage, and Luka pulled blinds over the windows, hoping that Miku was familiar with that practice. She was not. In response to a subtly cocked head, Luka spoke.

“Our carriages do not move nearly as quickly as yours do, and we usually cover the windows when we travel. Of course, I do not because I like to see the countryside, however we were dropped off at the border...”

Miku nodded, signifying that she understood. Both knew of the violence and bloodshed between the two empires, and neither was eager to see it.

“I do not know how much you know of our customs, so I will answer any questions that you have. One of the most important things to note is that we are not actually supposed to show emotion unless under private circumstances, so you needn’t fake any affection, because wow,” Luka whistled quietly, “would they be appalled if anyone ever smiled, show affection and the nation might just have a heart attack... Also, no one is allowed to touch you besides equals or people of greater authority, so if you want to be helped out of the carriage, you need to extend your hand first to initiate touch.”

“These are useful... Thank you.” said Miku. Luka nodded, looking absentmindedly out of a tiny gap in the curtain. After a few minutes, Miku shifted, and Luka returned her gaze to her betrothed.

“How much time does it take for us to reach our destination?” asked Miku, a mild sense of restlessness sheathed behind her placid irises.

“ Are you growing restless? I apologize. It will be a while yet, a few hours I fear, until we reach the castle... Our modes of transportation are not nearly as- Oof!” Luka was hit with something heavy, and looked down confusedly. Miku had moved to the seat besides her and was beginning to look nonchalantly out of the window before she remembered where they were.

“ I would quite like to see the countryside...” she muttered quietly, “ You humans have quite interesting geography.”

“ We will arrive at the countryside itself in a short matter of minutes. Unfortunately, everything takes time here. So,” she decided to try to make conversation, ignoring the fact that Miku had unnecessarily launched herself across the carriage to reach her. “ Wait... You don’t think that there’s no floor there, do you?” she pointed to the area between the seats that ran parallel to one another. Miku looked down.

“ You mean to tell me that I can walk there?”

“ Yes, of course. I had forgotten that you don’t usually ride in carriages that are unlit, there is in fact a floor there.”

“ Oh.” said Miku. She appeared not to believe Luka, who, to prove her point, sat on the floor of the carriage quite unceremoniously, not missing when her betrothed’s eyes widened slightly as she did so.

“ See?” Miku joined her on the floor, and they both sat there looking very appalling in Luka’s opinion. She laughed once, lightly, and Miku gave her yet another gentle tilting of the head, which Luka had learned signified her confusion.

“ This is just... Well it’s not quite suiting for royalty. I’m just thinking of how red in the face father would get if he saw me sitting on the floor of a carriage...”

Miku smiled a little bit as well, and Luka turned her head to the side slightly. Was she actually smiling? It did not seem as forced as the ones that Luka had seen before, however there was no way to tell for certain.

“ I feel that my father would be quite the same as your father... ‘Red in the face.’” Miku responded, the corners of her lips twitching upward ever so slightly.

“ Just wait until we get to the castle... I’ll show you all of the greatest gardens, cooks, theaters...everywhere.” Luka said out of nowhere, looking at the roof of the carriage. After another short period of silence, she looked out of the window and realized that the fields were no longer coated in victims of war. Organizing her dress and sitting back upon the cushioned seat, she gave Miku a warning and then opened the curtains on both sides of the carriage, bathing them both in the rays of the sun. Luka could have sworn that she heard a faint gasp as Miku rejoined her on the seat of the carriage.

“ It must’ve been years since I’d last felt the light of a star...” she muttered, seemingly unaware of Luka’s continued presence, “ And the fields that spilled out before my eyes looked glorious and full of life, unlike the sterile walls of my realm...” With her random transition to speaking in past-tense, Luka was almost entirely certain that Miku was a doll, perhaps being operated by someone back on their ‘ship’.

“ Do you do that often?” Miku asked, disrupting Luka’s train of thought before it had really gotten far.

“ Do...what?” asked Luka, still unsure of whether or not she was to regard Miku by her first name, or if it would insult an alien custom of some sort.

“ When you’re thinking of something you wrinkle your nose and pull your head back the tiniest bit.”

“ Oh, I apologize.” 

“ No, it’s nothing that displeases me. Even if it were, I am not your possessor and therefor do not dictate your actions. I simply found it... curious.”

They spent the remainder of the trip making light conversation, with Luka pausing occasionally to point out a bit of the countryside. Upon their return to the village, many heads turned. 

“ I fear I’ll need to put the curtains up in a short bit, but I wanted you to get a view of the surrounding village.” commented Luka.

“ Your village is in nature?” asked Miku, staring out of the window, “ It’s quite beautiful...”

“ Many thanks.” responded Luka. She slowly pulled the curtains closed, and they sat through the rest of the ride with Luka answering any of Miku’s questions. Eventually, the carriage pulled to a stop. Luka heard her companion hold her breath slightly, and the door was opened. She extended her hand to a servant that helped her and then Miku out of the carriage and led them to the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While this is an alternate universe with lore very different from that of the real world (our world), I have Luka set to be from a victorian-era-esque time, thusly meaning that PDA was very frowned upon, and she's not going to understand why the idea of romance is associated with marriage because marriage, in her political world, is generally just used to merge households and ensure that offspring is of good blood. Of course there are many themes in Luka's world alone (even ignoring the existence of Miku's people) that are drastically different than what things would be like in the victorian era, I just wanted to offer an explanation as to why she is confused about PDA and the concept of romance as we understand it today.
> 
> Also, I had originally just been writing this for my eyes only, I guess now I actually have to introduce some antagonists...


	3. Blissful Ignorance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miku gets acquainted with Luka's home world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, the formatting might be a little strange. I haven't posted anything on here in a long time, but I've actually already written the story and have it on my computer so all that I really need to do is edit it properly and add a villian.

Unlike Miku’s parents, Luka’s father was not afraid to make a show of everything. The princess watched silently as the door opened and she was greeted with the aggressive red and gold interior of the castle. She recognized Luka’s father and curtseyed to him once, receiving a kind nod. He left, and allowed the servant to show Miku to her room, which would be at the opposing end of the castle from Luka’s room. The servant left, and Luka lagged a little, silently mouthing something about how her father liked to oversell things.

Miku was left alone in the room to unload her bags, which had been left almost entirely untouched by their transporters by her almost silent request. She moved slowly around the room, movements chaste and precise almost as if she were a puppet. She furrowed her brows slightly as the walls of the room did not change color to accommodate her possessions, however the room chosen for her had been a pale blue and was not a problem in her opinion, not that she would have complained had they been red. She was surprised when the mirror in the washroom did not become covered in words, and was relieved that she had not become disorderly over her trip, because an improper representation of her people would be greatly frowned upon. She adjusted the light silver circlet that sat atop her head and sat on the edge of her royal-blue bed, staring out of a window to notice an odd maze that appeared to be created out of rosebushes. At the very center of the maze, there appeared to be a few stone benches and a table. There was a balcony so that she could walk out if need be, but she did not feel the urge to leave the room nor be seen by the humans just yet. The innumerable ways that her introduction could go wrong loomed over her head and made her tighten her clenched fists around the light fabric of her dress. 

After an indefinite amount of time spent thinking, a knock sounded on her door, and she realized that the star was falling over the horizon. She called lightly for the servant to come in, and he did, bowing and mentioning that it was time to come to dinner. She stood up and followed him out of her room, maintaining her elegant stride while matching his pace. A grand door was opened, remarkably similar to that of her own castle’s dining hall, and she was exposed to a cheerful room that was lit by a humungous fixture upon which many candles perched. The fixture hung above a grand table where Luka and her father sat, and the walls were lined with more candles, each held individually by smaller holders. Although a betrothed son would sit opposing Luka, Miku remembered that a daughter was meant to sit on Luka’s side. As if sensing her conflict, or perhaps experiencing it the previous night, Luka shot her a reassuring smile and motioned ever so slightly to the seat besides her father.

Already, Miku felt a bit of disappointment, but headed to sit next to the man anyway without breaking stride. The man that had led her to the room pulled her chair out for her and left after she had joined the table. Luka’s father launched into a story about the castles, and just as Miku was about to lose focus, Luka caught her eye from across the table and rolled her eyes, mouthing her father’s exact speech across the table as well while exaggerating his expressions. Luka was sly, because she had perfected her mockery so that she would stop a full few seconds before her father would break in speech, and give Miku enough time to return her attention to the king. Miku did not display the reassurance that she felt, but she was relieved nonetheless.

“ And so we’re joyous to finally be at peace. However, please take care of my daughter, for she is truly my pride and joy.” he concluded with a hearty smile. Miku nodded quaintly, her movements as fluid as ever, while Luka appeared fixated on her father’s story, as if she had not just been making fun of his overused speech. The dinner was uneventful, although Luka did her best to keep Miku entertained, and it wound up with both of them leaving the dining hall and being led to their rooms. Luka sighed and plopped down onto her bed, looking like the polar opposite of a queen-to-be. She was already noticing so many differences between her home and that of her betrothed, and wished slightly for the technology that she remembered, although perhaps not the mirror. She fell quickly asleep despite the markedly less comfortable mattress. 

The following day, she met Miku after breakfast. The alien was eerily motionless once again, and Luka was just waiting for her to become a statue where she stood. She walked over to where her frozen betrothed sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, greeting her with a handshake.

“ I had considered visiting a few of the private gardens, and was wondering if you would like to come along. We can discuss the events that must take place in two days’ time as well, if that is your wish.”

Luka received no immediate response. Miku was staring intently out at the field before her, perhaps deep in thought, and Luka was once again filled with the idea that she might not actually be a living thing. Before long, Miku spoke in a dull, listless voice.

“ It is...nice...” she said, tilting her head slightly to establish eye contact with Luka. She noticed a difference in the woman’s smile and realized that she must have missed something. “ I apologize, what was it that you had said?” Luka reiterated her proposal to the now attentive Miku, who nodded.

“ Yes, I’d find it quite pleasing, if it does not trouble you to do so.”

Luka said that it would not be a problem, and led Miku to an awaiting carriage. They rode for a short matter of minutes before they were let out. The second that Miku set foot onto the large pathway, which was made from a mixture of variously sized slates of stone, her eyes widened slightly. She began walking slowly, with her usual refined grace, but gradually built up speed, striding over to the various trees that lined the walkway of the entrance to the garden, which was composed of hedges. Luka was glad that the driver could not see the way that her betrothed was acting. Smile lessening a bit, she was reminded of the fact that even in her perfection, many would look down upon Miku for her species. If they were to witness her acting un-queenly, it would be blown out of proportion and used against her in every way possible.

She managed to get the alien away from the tree and into the private garden, where she would cause less harm to herself if she lost refinement. They perused a large selection of wildlife and made light conversation with one another until reaching a bridge that led over a still river. Miku was transfixed by the water itself, pausing midway on the bridge and excusing herself before crouching down to get a better look at it. She extended a hand and recoiled slightly upon realizing that it was real liquid before regaining her upright stance as if nothing had happened. Luka cocked an eyebrow, but remembered that while Miku may have heard of the various plants and animals, such a mundane thing as natural running water was very likely left out of any of her studies.

“ Is that our beverage?” Miku inquired.  
“ No,” Luka responded hastily “ that water is not fit for royalty to drink.”  
“ In that case, what is its purpose?”   
“ That water sustains plant and animal life.” Luka answered.  
“ Can it be found commonly about this planet?” asked Miku. Luka responded affirmatively to Miku’s question, and moved onto another topic.  
“ So in two days, we are going to stand atop a balcony as my father speaks.” Luka explained, “ Neither of us is actually supposed to speak, and so you do not need to worry about that. However, from what you were saying, it sounds as if our people are quite different from one another. It is custom for us to do nothing more than hold hands, although depending on how the public reacts to us as a couple, we may not want to do that, especially since it is the only sign of affection that is really ever permitted to be displayed in public without people becoming drastically offended.”

“ Alright,” said Miku, grateful for learning “ Quite contrarily, we will most likely be required to show a great deal of affection before my people, however I will inform you of that once we get through the first speech. Until then, just know that you will be required to speak, although very little until the interviews begin. Then, we will be required to answer questions, which we will know the answers to.”


End file.
